Corporate Thugs by Bridgett Renay

Corporate Thugs
by Bridgett Renay

What’s the first sign that lets you know you’re dealing with a sociopath? Corporate Thugs is riddled with clues.

Set in the new reigning hub of African-American drama – suburban Atlanta
– it’s the scandalous saga of the ambitious and untamed Gerald
Alexander that chronicles his descent into the dismal world of
irrationality. From high school to college and throughout the pros – his
story will have you watching your back ever so closely.

Gerald had only two dreams – to play professional football in the NFL
and to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. When the former became a
reality it was short-lived due to a serious injury. And just like that,
all the fame, fortune, parties, women…gone. On the contrary, his best
friend since childhood, Marcus Stone, was on top of the world – a
successful business, a beautiful wife, a fat bank account…he had it all.

Being a supportive friend, Marcus offers Gerald a job hoping that Gerald
would have a positive impact on his company. But when jealously and
murder come between them, which one will fall? Could Gerald be so
callous that he'd set up his best friend? Is Marcus even capable of
unleashing his own wrath?
They solved the riddle. Can you?

First Chapter Excerpt: Corporate Thugs

Born Troy Lewis, Slink was fated to live a life that revolved around
crime. He was conceived in the back room of a strip club and born in
prison. His mother was convicted on federal drug charges and by the time
she gave birth to Slink in a women’s prison, his father, or who his
mother believed to be his father, was convicted and serving time on
larceny charges.

Slink spent the first seven years of his life caught up in the anarchy
of the foster care system until his maternal great-grandmother, Nana
Kay, took him in. Nana Kay was a sweet enough old lady. She was in her
late sixties and unfortunately had just about every illness listed in
the New England Journal of Medicine. While Nana Kay was in and out of
hospitals, he was in and out of trouble.

Despite it all, Slink had learned to survive by being tranquil,
mystical, and clever. Add that to his cunning stride and his slender
physique and you’d be describing a Slinky – Slink for short. He used
every talent he had to manipulate those that were unfortunate enough to
cross his path.

Slink had arrived in Atlanta via Jackson, Mississippi. As usual, he
found himself right in the middle of some serious bull in Jackson. Two
men were found dead in the back alley of a pool hall just hours after
being seen arguing with Slink. Slink got word that the police were
asking around about him so he decided he needed to get out of town. He
wasn’t a stranger to transporting dope across state lines and when he
found out about a huge drug run to Atlanta he made his move.

Not only did the drug lords know Slink by reputation, they also knew he
was desperate to get out of town for a while so they offered him
twenty-five thousand dollars to transfer a shipment of their product to
Atlanta. They also knew that as crazy as he was, he wasn’t suicidal
enough to try to run off with it.

Slink knew where to draw the line and who to draw the line with –
depending on what was at stake of course. He also knew he was being
played short because a run like that could easily go for fifty thousand
at the least, but the last thing he needed was a run-in with one of
Jackson’s finest so he took the deal.

When Slink got to Atlanta and delivered the dope he was twenty-five
thousand dollars richer and had about five pounds of dope of his own.
That was all he needed to start up his own dope-slinging operation. On
his drive from Jackson to Atlanta he stopped at a campground near
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, pitched a tent, and carefully removed a few ounces
from each of the bricks he was transporting. Slink always got what he
felt was his in the end. Screw honor among thieves.

He didn’t even sweat driving an SUV full of dope across two state lines
because Slink was nobody’s dummy. He understood America. He didn't walk
around with his pants hanging down to his knees. No way was Slink
getting locked up trying to keep up with thug fashion. He always dressed
like a perfect little gentlemen. His pants and shirts were
professionally pressed. He wore sneakers only while wearing athletic
gear. Slink even wore a tie every now and then. He was the portrait of a
man on his way to visit his sweet, elderly momma for a Sunday dinner.

***

It was in the middle of Marcus and Gerald’s junior year of high school
when Slink moved into an apartment a few miles from the Burger Hut. He
didn’t know anything about healthy eating so he immediately began to
frequent the restaurant. He came in one day while Gerald was behind the
grill flipping burgers. When Slink walked up to place his order he
recognized Gerald from the sports section of the neighborhood newspaper
and was impressed. His low-key, semi-thuggish behavior intrigued Gerald
as well so they talked often.

Slink enjoyed turning young brothers out so he played the role of one of
those non-threatening thugs – the kind that may steal, but would never
kill. Gerald was fooled by Slink’s big puppy-dog eyes and his slender
frame. All of the malnutrition he suffered growing up gave Slink the
appearance of a nineteen-year-old. Gerald didn’t know Slink was
twenty-six-years-old and straight-up demented.

The two became quick friends, therefore, Marcus soon became a friend.
The more Slink realized how bright Gerald and Marcus’ future looked, the
more he tried to gain their confidence. Slink didn’t like seeing
brothers sincerely happy and legitimately successful. He felt it was his
duty to put an end to all that. If his soul couldn’t be emancipated,
neither could anyone else’s.

About the Author
Always the quiet but observant type, Bridgett Renay's written words
spoke for her. As a young girl she undoubtedly had the gift of writing.
Everything from poetry to short stories filled her PeeChee folder with
fantasies as well as the realities of life growing up in south central
Los Angeles. In elementary school, one Thanksgiving Day poem she wrote
even found its way to the local newspaper. That was then.

Years of professional growth as a Navy Reservist and corporate
operative, as well as personal triumphs earning an undergraduate and a
master's degree, tells the story of a journey that took her to faraway
places, introduced her to intoxicating people, and shaped the way she
viewed the world and her place in it.

Now that she is firmly settled in Atlanta, Georgia and has reached the
top of her pyramid, per se, Bridgett has allowed herself to re-focus on
her true calling - writing. And though usually conservative, she never
misses out on an opportunity to flip any script. Bridgett had no choice
but to pen the venomous Corporate Thugs. The characters were so alive in
her head that they had to be released and shared with reading
enthusiasts of diversified genres.

Corporate Thugs is her first novel - her dream deferred. The pen is back, the passion never left...a new journey begins.